The Chief Executive, Mr Sam Hou Fai, was in Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, today, where he met with the Secretary of the Zhaoqing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Zhaoqing Municipal People's Congress, Mr Zhang Aijun. Both sides exchanged views on promoting high-quality development within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and on strengthening cooperation in ecology.

Mr Sam is on a three-day visit to six mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, namely Shenzhen, Huizhou, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Zhaoqing, and Foshan. After visiting Shenzhen and Huizhou on Sunday (22 June), he was in Dongguan and Guangzhou on Monday (23 June).

During the meeting, Mr Sam expressed his gratitude to the Zhaoqing authorities for their longstanding support to the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR), particularly their sustained efforts to protect water quality in the Xijiang River, effectively safeguarding drinking water safety for Macao residents.

Noting Zhaoqing’s role as the sole gateway city in the Greater Bay Area connecting it to the southwestern regions of the country, Mr Sam said Zhaoqing also served as a vital link in fostering cultural exchanges between China and the West. The profound geographical, cultural, and people-to-people ties between  Macao and Zhaoqing  present extensive complementary advantages and broad collaborative potential in areas such as culture, tourism, and economic trade, the Chief Executive said.

Mr Sam further highlighted Zhaoqing’s rich heritage in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Macao’s ongoing efforts to further develop its TCM industry. He expressed hope that Macao’s higher education institutions and Zhaoqing could deepen cooperation in TCM platform development, foundational research, and industrial innovation, particularly by aligning scientific research projects in order to jointly explore TCM-related opportunities in markets across the European Union and the Portuguese-speaking countries.

Additionally, by making use of Zhaoqing’s land resources and favourable ecological conditions, both sides could combine their strengths to develop “multi-destination” premium tourism routes, said Mr Sam. By expanding high-end eco-tourism, youth study exchanges, and cultural heritage experiences, Macao aims to participate in – and support – the upgrading of Zhaoqing’s cultural and tourism infrastructure.

Members of the MSAR Government delegation also attending the meeting included: the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Tai Kin Ip; the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms Chan Kak; the Director of the Policy Research and Regional Development Bureau, Mr Cheong Chok Man; the Director of the Health Bureau, Mr Lo Iek Long; the President of the Board of Directors of the Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute, Mr U U Sang; and the Director of the Economic and Technological Development Bureau, Mr Yau Yun Wah.

Representatives from Guangdong and Zhaoqing present included: the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the People's Government of Guangdong Province, Ms Chen Liwen; member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Zhaoqing Municipal Committee and Director of the United Front Work Department of Zhaoqing, Mr Wu Ding; the Secretary of the Party Working Committee and Director of the Administrative Committee of the Zhaoqing High-Tech Zone, Mr Jiang Zequan; Executive Deputy Secretary-General of the CPC Zhaoqing Municipal Committee, Mr Zhong Ziliang; and Executive Deputy Director of the United Front Work Department of Zhaoqing and Director of the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office, Ms Huang Xiulan.

Prior to the meeting, the MSAR Government delegation visited the Dinghushan Nature Reserve in Zhaoqing to learn about the city’s green industries, followed by an inspection of a new energy vehicle investment company to gain insight into the local development of related industries.